"Buzhou Mountain has long since collapsed. If you wish to obtain Buzhou Mountain Stone, you might only find it at the foundation of Buzhou Mountain." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon said, "The foundation of Buzhou Mountain lies beneath the center of the First Layer of Spiritual World. If you can get there, you can of course obtain Buzhou Mountain Stone."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen was elated. Looking at the jade token in his hand, he casually hung it around his neck. He couldn’t be bothered with the dog token now; such a mantra was undoubtedly to be kept close.
Turning his head to the wall glistening with divine light, and the dwindled points, Zhang Chen didn’t think twice before summoning the mouthpart of an innate mosquito and plunging it fiercely.
Ton~
Ton~
Ton~
Just as Zhang Chen was about to devour the Incense Qi, a familiar figure suddenly appeared at the gate, triggering the water vapor Zhang Chen had spread through the air. He quickly retracted the mouthpart and quietly emerged from the ground, entering his small abode.
"Zhang Chen, are you there?" Liu Ji’s voice echoed from outside the gate.
"Why has the village chief come?" Hearing the call from outside, Zhang Chen opened the door and went out: "Liu, what brings you here?"
"You don’t come to see me, so isn’t it natural for me to check on you? In the entire Daoist Temple, just the two of us come from the same place. If I don’t come to look after you, who else will?" Liu Ji’s voice was filled with sentiment.
Hearing Liu Ji’s words, Zhang Chen showed his white teeth: "Liu, please come inside quickly and share your thoughts."
Liu Ji entered Zhang Chen’s small courtyard, looked around, and curiously remarked, "Your courtyard feels less dry than outside, and it’s quite comfortable staying here. Outside, the air is so dry that it makes one’s throat parched; my nose almost bled."
Liu Ji complained, "I don’t know what’s up with this ghostly weather; the village folks down the mountain are struggling to survive. Does this damned Heaven truly plan to drive everyone to death?"
Zhang Chen chuckled bitterly, "It’s all because of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion."
"Prince Pingbian’s Mansion?" Liu Ji paused upon hearing this, "What does the Northern Land’s drought have to do with Prince Pingbian’s Mansion?"
Zhang Chen didn’t hold back and recounted the story of the old Prince Pingbian, Zhang Shicheng, transforming into a dragon and the Walking Flood Dragon. Liu Ji fell silent after hearing it, not speaking for a long time.
Zhang Chen poured Liu Ji a pot of tea and silently sat aside, contemplating the Mountain-moving Mantra, eagerly working to master the Mountain-moving Skill so that when he found the Buzhou Mountain Stone, he could directly level up and cultivate to Great Success.
He didn’t have a favorable impression of Liu Ji, finding him a bit of a scoundrel with a notorious reputation for being ruthless in the surrounding areas and most fond of meddling, possessing a somewhat chivalrous nature.
"Those grandees really don’t care about the lives of the commoners below for the sake of their own interests." Liu Ji sighed gently after a long pause, pulling Zhang Chen back from his thoughts:
"Forget it. I came to find you today to ask whether you’d like to go down the mountain with me for a trip..."
Saying this, Liu Ji lowered his voice, glancing around before speaking softly, "I have an uneasy feeling; staying in the Daoist Temple makes me anxious, with a persistent sense of impending doom. It feels like a sword is hanging over my head, ready to fall at any moment and chop me into pieces."
Hearing Liu Ji’s words, a hint of surprise surfaced in Zhang Chen’s eyes. He hadn’t expected Liu Ji to actually have quite the sense of danger.
"What crisis could there be in the Daoist Temple? Are you perhaps overstimulated?" Zhang Chen teased, indifferent. "With all the masters gradually gathering here, there’s no safer place in the world than inside the Daoist Temple."
Listening to Zhang Chen’s words, Liu Ji scratched his head then stopped saying more. After drinking a cup of tea, he bid farewell and left.
Watching Liu Ji’s back, thoughts churned in Zhang Chen’s mind: "This old guy really has some knack if he can sense impending danger? If I weren’t planning for the underground secret room, it wouldn’t matter, and following him down the mountain to avoid disaster would be the best choice. But now..."
Zhang Chen returned to the courtyard, continuing to wait for the Divine Enthronement Ceremony’s arrival.
Only when Zhang Chen went to the cafeteria for food the next day, he encountered someone who absolutely shouldn’t be there: Chen Sanliang.
Chen Sanliang looked emaciated, with the Qingqiu Fox Race’s ruler beside him, mingling with the crowd as they got food.
Zhang Chen saw Chen Sanliang, and Chen Sanliang naturally saw Zhang Chen too.
After saying something softly to Bai Cang, Chen Sanliang walked straight towards Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen stared at Chen Sanliang, not knowing what to say, while Chen Sanliang patted Zhang Chen on the shoulder and then lowered his voice: "Why did you come to Huangli Temple?"
"I accidentally entered here and got entangled due to karmic ties, unable to leave," Zhang Chen replied.
Upon hearing Zhang Chen’s words, Chen Sanliang’s lips moved but he eventually spoke, a weak mosquito-like voice reached Zhang Chen’s ears: "Huangli Temple is about to fall into chaos; you must quickly descend the mountain and not linger."
In response, Zhang Chen shook his head, declining Chen Sanliang’s kind advice. He was also curious why Chen Sanliang would kindly come to warn him.
Seeing Zhang Chen unwilling to take heed, Chen Sanliang could only sigh helplessly: "If carnage stirs up within Huangli Temple, flee southwest immediately. Whatever you encounter, just use my name."
After speaking, Chen Sanliang patted Zhang Chen’s shoulder then turned and vanished into the crowd.
Watching the figures of Chen Sanliang and Bai Cang, Zhang Chen muttered to himself, "Is the Demon Race going to intervene too? It makes sense; the Divine Enthronement is such a grand event, destined to change the world’s power structure in the future. How could the Demon Race not pay attention?"
After getting his steamed buns, Zhang Chen returned to the small courtyard to find Xiaodouding already awake and famished, pacing back and forth. Seeing Zhang Chen carrying the buns back, Xiaodouding rushed up, grabbing the buns and devouring three in no time before heading upstairs to continue sleeping.
Watching Xiaodouding’s actions, Zhang Chen felt increasingly uneasy, with an ominous premonition growing stronger.
At noon, another familiar figure appeared at Zhang Chen’s gate.
Zhang Chen was standing in the courtyard, using his Dharma Eye to observe the Qi Mechanism between Heaven and Earth, when suddenly he heard a wolfish wail from outside: "Brother Zhang Chen, I missed you dearly! You have to save me this time."
Turning, Zhang Chen saw Chen Xu standing at the gate, tears streaming down, rushing towards him as if seeing a loved one.
"Why have you come too? Didn’t you escape before? Why come back to the eye of the storm?" Zhang Chen was filled with surprise at Chen Xu’s appearance.
"Don’t mention it; it’s really damned unlucky. I originally avoided the pursuit from Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, just about to seize the chance to leave this place. Yet, who would’ve thought I’d encounter people from the Shangjing Zhang Family? The Shangjing Zhang Family heard I had the ability for Breaking the Ban, so they captured me, wanting to explore the underground secret room of Huangli Temple during the initiation of the Yellow Heaven Dao’s Divine Enthronement Ceremony, seeking the Tree of Life Coffin’s traces." Chen Xu, sobbing and sniffling, extended his arm where a pitch-black skull mark was branded:
"The Zhang Family cursed me; you have to save me and break this curse!" Chen Xu looked at Zhang Chen with a face full of expectation; he had great faith in Zhang Chen’s unorthodox methods.
Among everyone he knew, Zhang Chen was definitely the most unorthodox one.
His skills had all been taken by Zhang Chen; was there anyone more unorthodox than him?
As for those skills, they naturally weren’t something to mention again. Being smart, he knew what should be said and what shouldn’t.
The two skills had fallen into Zhang Chen’s hands, like a dog biting a bao, never to return. If Zhang Chen wanted to return them, he would do so on his own. If not, even if he asked, Zhang Chen certainly wouldn’t give them back.
He came to find Zhang Chen not to ask for the return of skills but to seek Zhang Chen’s help in escaping.
He had no desire to get involved in the troubles of Huangli Temple. Even if he truly aided the Zhang Family in breaking the restrictions of Huangli Temple, would the people of Huangli Temple spare him?
Huangli Temple might fear the Zhang Family’s power and opt to downplay issues with their members, making peace, but he, as an accomplice, could never escape the blame.
A pursuit by Huangli Temple would certainly await him!
Moreover, now marked by the Zhang Family, if the mark wasn’t lifted, he’d be destined to serve as a slave for the Zhang Family, working like an ox for them in the future.
He sought Zhang Chen to remove the mark on his body.